Dita Von Teese On The Difference Between Stripping And Burlesque

“More feather and rhinestones! Better lighting! Bigger production value! Striptease burlesque was invented in America, so it’s not any different. … If you read anything Gypsy Rose Lee ever wrote, she liked being called a stripper. That word was used back then. I don’t really need any fancy terminology to describe what I do. I never correct someone when they say, ‘She’s a stripper.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am.’ I am proud of what I do.”

—Dita Von Teese is right, of course. Stripping is stripping. But I also found her explanation overly simplistic. I know several burlesque performers, as well as several strippers, and my impression is that burlesque usually begins as a “past time” or “hobby” that involves spending a lot of money on costumes, shoes, hair and makeup, and it can turn into a full-time job for only a select few. My impression of stripping is that it is a full-time job, or a part-time job during school (or whatever), which women get into out of economic necessity more so than a “hobby.” I do not look down on strippers — in fact, one of my fave Frisky commenters is a former stripper! — but I’m definitely more into watching burlesque! [TimeOut London]

Contact the author of this post at Jessica@TheFrisky.com. Follow me on Twitter at @JessicaWakeman.

Comments

Simply Irresistible

Taking a page out of those girls you went to high school with who can't stop smugly posting every detail of their perfect lives on Facebook, Lady Gaga shaded America's youngest grandma Taylor Swift just perfectly on Twitter yesterday. It all started when Jaime King's unborn child's godmother tweeted about Gaga, using the preferred…

Oh look, it's hottest DILF alive, Ryan Gosling, making a rare appearance in public grabbing lunch in LA today. And what's that I see? In addition to his perfectly worn T-shirt (that collar is stretched just so), hoodie and leather jacket, the Gos is rocking a few faint letters on his knuckles, spelling out the…